Badi Ma hesitated for a split second. Then she fiddled with her hearing aid, as she sometimes did when she wanted to sidestep a question. ‘Isn’t it time for that wildlife show that Rajan and you watch every week, Arathi?’

Arathi glanced at the clock.

‘You’re right. Thanks, Ma—what would I do without you?’ Arathi gave Jai a quick kiss on his forehead. ‘Sleep tight, Jai—and remember, give as good as you get, okay?’

Jai nodded in outward agreement, knowing fully well that the last thing he could get away with was punching Ansh and gang in return. The very thought was ludicrous. They would beat him to a pulp after that. End of story.

‘Do you want to tell me how you got hurt, Jai?’ asked Badi Ma, as Arathi left the room.

Jai said nothing. He sat there, pulling at the dry skin around his fingernails.

‘Well, I guess I should also go and change for the night,’ said Badi Ma, standing up to leave.

‘I know your hearing aid battery is fine, Badi Ma,’ said Jai, looking up at his grandmother. ‘Why didn’t you want to answer Ma’s question about the diary?’

Badi Ma refused to meet his eyes.

‘If I tell you who punched me, will you tell me why you are sad?’

Badi Ma turned to look at him, tenderness in her gaze. ‘Okay, tell me about that bruise,’ she said, sitting down again on the bed beside him.

Jai quietly told his grandmother about the four boys who had been bullying him for the past few months. When he finished speaking, Badi Ma looked him straight in the eye, ‘Why do you think they pick on you, Jai?’

‘I don’t know . . . Maybe it’s because I . . . I don’t like playing sports. I’m fat. I like cooking, drama—that’s stuff they sneer at. They don’t like me because I’m . . . not like them.’

Badi Ma let out a long breath. ‘Let me tell you a little story, Jai,’ she said slowly. ‘There was once a little boy called Tarlok. He looked a lot like you, in fact. And like you, he was also gentle and kind. But one day, some mean-spirited people were very nasty with him.’

‘What did they do, Badi Ma?’ asked Jai, looking up earnestly at his grandmother.

Badi Ma looked as calm as she usually did, but beneath the surface, Jai could almost hear her thoughts flailing like trapped birds. Her eyes were fixed on the floor, but then she turned to face Jai.

‘Just like those bullies did with you, they ganged up on him and attacked him for being different.’ Badi Ma stopped abruptly. Her mouth felt parched. Like the words had dried up.

Jai nodded. ‘Then what did he do?’

Badi Ma was quiet. Just when Jai thought she would say no more, she spoke again.

‘He fought them with all his might, Jai—he was the bravest little boy there ever was.’